With close to a billion people suffering from losses of cropland and rangeland, desertification is closely linked to hunger and poverty as well as to the loss of wildlife habitats. The need for concerted international action was discussed in Chapter 12 of Agenda 21 and led to the adoption in 1994 of the Convention to Combat Desertification.
The desertification convention is likely to come into effect in 1996 or early 1997. Meanwhile, the International Negotiating Committee on Desertification continues in existence, preparing for the first session of the Conference of the Parties and promoting urgent action on drylands in Africa. The Negotiating Committee met in Geneva in February 1996, primarily to discuss institutional arrangements for implementation of the treaty. It was to meet again in September 1996 in New York.
Ambassador Bo K'ellen of Sweden, who chairs the Negotiating Committee, expressed concern that the desertification treaty is not sufficiently well known or integrated into development strategies [ENB, Vol. 4, No. 86]. The representative from Burundi noted that decision-makers have difficulty distinguishing between the desertification treaty and the biodiversity and climate change conventions [ibid.]. Since the adoption of the desertification treaty, a number of countries have held "awareness days" and national forums, and the General Assembly proclaimed June 17 as World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought [A/Res/49/115]. Public awareness among the people directly involved with the land is particularly important given the treaty's "bottom-up" approach to conservation, emphasizing initiatives that are compatible with the skills, customs, and traditions of dryland inhabitants.
Besides lack of recognition, the desertification treaty suffers from limited funding. During the October 1995 meetings of the Second Committee of the General Assembly, the representative of Benin complained that the desertification treaty had received fewer financial contributions than had the climate change and biodiversity conventions, and that its secretariat was smaller. He called for equal treatment for all the conventions [UN press release GA/EF/2692, 10/31/95].
UNDP and UNEP have been proceeding with programs to build awareness and to mobilize resources for desertification control, particularly in Africa. The two agencies signed a new agreement in 1995 reorganizing a prior joint venture into a Partnership to Combat Desertification and Drought. Moreover, the UNDP Executive Board agreed to rename the UN Sudano-Sahelian Office (UNSO) in view of its role in helping affected countries to develop national action plans on desertification. It is now called the Office to Combat Desertification and Drought.
At the February 1996 meeting of the International Negotiating Committee on Desertification, UNDP was considered as a possible choice to host the "global mechanism" for the desertification treaty intended to promote mobilization of financial resources. UNDP Administrator Gus Speth suggested a possible co-hosting arrangement with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) [ENB, Vol. 4, No. 86]. IFAD's mandate is to address the needs of the rural poor, many of whom live in fragile ecosystems. The Fund expects to provide $150 million to $200 million annually for poverty relief in marginal areas and is currently working to mobilize additional resources, especially for countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
From A Global Agenda: Issues Before the 51st General Assembly of the United Nations, (excerpt from Environment and Sustainable Development, by Gail V. Karlsson). Copyright 1996 by the United Nations Association of the United States of America. Published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
